Dr. Telewski was born in Fort Lee, New Jersey and earned his B.A. with a double major in Biology and Chemistry from Montclair State College in 1977, his M.S. in Botany from Ohio University in 1980, and his Ph.D. in Tree Physiology from Wake Forest University in 1983. Both his Masters and Doctoral research focused on the influence of wind on tree biomechanics, growth and development. After graduating from Wake Forest, Dr. Telewski accepted the position of Assistant Professor in the Laboratory of Tree Ring Research at the University of Arizona from 1983 to 1990. In 1990 he moved to Buffalo, NY to take over the duties of Director of the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens and Associate Professor of Biology at the State University of New York at Buffalo. In January, 1993 Dr. Telewski moved to his current position at Michigan State University as Curator of the W. J. Beal Botanical Garden and Campus Arboretum, and Assistant Professor in the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology. Currently he is Professor of Plant Biology and Curator of the W. J. Beal Botanical Garden and Campus Arboretum. Dr. Telewski has published over 40 peer reviewed articles and book chapters on tree physiology, ecology, dendrochronology, and biomechanics. He is internationally recognized for his work in tree biomechanics and tree growth responses to wind. He has given numerous talks nationally and internationally to chapters of the International Society of Arboriculture, and nursery and landscape associations, with an emphasis on tree growth in response to wind, tree biomechanics and hazard trees, proper planting practices, girdling roots, tree protection during construction, and the influence of root damage due to trenching on tree growth.